The new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) released by France Ciment demonstrate the significant efforts made to decarbonise the country’s cement industry. Representative of the sector in 2023, the total climate change indicator saw an 8.5 per cent reduction in four years with the average carbon footprint down from 0.61 to 0.56t of CO2/t of cement.
The progress made is based on two pillars: the production of lower-carbon clinker and reducing the proportion of clinker in cement thanks to research programmes that have underpinned the development and marketing of low-carbon cements. The carbon footprint of cements currently produced in France ranges between 694 and 198kg of CO2/t.
In addition, the increase in the thermal substitution rate has also supported the sector’s decarbonisation. In 2023, alternative fuels accounted for 52 per cent of thermal energy used by French cement plants.
